In the recovery of hydrocarbons from the earth, wellbores are generally drilled using any of a variety of different methods and equipment selected according to the particular drilling site and objectives. When drilling a well, a drill bit is rotated in axial engagement against the formation to remove rock, to thereby form the wellbore to a desired depth. The drill bit is typically rotated via the rotation of a drill string to which the drill bit is coupled and/or by the rotary force imparted to the drill bit by a subsurface drilling motor.
Downhole vibrations and shocks (referred to collectively and/or interchangeably herein as “shock loads”) are induced by interactions between downhole tools and formations along the wellbore. Shock loads induced at points along the drill string are in turn transmitted to other components of the drill string and bottom hole assembly. Lateral shock loads imparted on the drill string can diminish the life of its interconnected members by accelerating the process of fatigue. Lateral shock loads may also cause damage to the wellbore itself, such as when lateral vibrations cause the drill string to contact the walls of the wellbore, for example. Additionally, excessive shock loads can cause spontaneous downhole equipment failure, wash-outs and a decrease in penetration rate.